Can you guess what is the biggest challenge working with internet in the social media era like today? Nothing else, it’s refraining from accessing social media itself. Despite social media is not the only online distraction, the portion is bigger than other type of website in ruining your focus when work.
In an effort to get your focus back as well as enhancing productivity, you can install some extensions that are categorized as productivity extensions. If you use Google Chrome, there are a number of extensions that you can try. Momentum Dash is one of the best productivity extensions for Google Chrome. This extensions will replace the default new tab page of Chrome with a random image. You can write down what’s become your focus today on this extension, as well as other today’s tasks.
Combined with other extensions such as Pocket and BlockSite, you will find your most productive moment back, everyday. Here are some productivity extensions you can install and try on Chrome.
1. Momentum Dash
Today, there are many of daily checklist apps that you can use to write down the list of tasks you are going to do today. Momentum Dash is one of that sort of app. You can specify what is the most priority task and write it on the available field. Actually, Momentum Das is more about it. The use of this this extension can be vary based on your creativity. This extension also features a bookmark manager to help you saving the interesting links you potentially find on the web. Momentum Dash will turn the default new page of Chrome into a beautiful image that is set randomly.
2. StayFocusd
I know, refraining yourself from accessing social media sites is really a hard task. If you can’t completely far away from social media, you can at least limit yourself. StayFocusd helps you to set the maximum duration of accessing a site within a day. For instance, you can set the maximum duration of accessing Facebook for only an hour per day. Once you have reached the maximum duration, you have to wait until tomorrow to access Facebook. This will help you ensuring that you spend your time wisely. StayFocusd is extremely easy to set. All you need to do is entering the list of sites you want to block and set the maximum duration.
3. Pocket
You have probably heard about Pocket, but you haven’t probably known that Pocket is also available for Chrome. Pocket is one of the best online bookmark managers. You can bookmark interesting webpages on Pocket and access them across devices. Pocket extension for Chrome will makes it easy for you to save interesting webpages you potentially found during browsing.
4. Toggl Button
If you curious about how you have spent your day today, you can you use Toggl Button to record the webpages you visited today. You can learn how long you visited a certain website within a day. It will be useful for self-correction as a part of self-improvement. The extension of Toggl Button is part of Toggl, a time-tracking app. The extension also has a built-in Pomodoro timer if you are into that sort of thing.
5. OneTab
One of the causes that make you getting less focus when is working on a certain task is probably due to too many open tabs. On the one hand, the concept of multi-tab of web browser is useful for multitasking. But on the other hand, human brain is actually not designed to multitasking. OneTab will hide all of the open tabs on the current window but the one you are currently opening. No, OneTab doesn’t close those tabs. It just put together the tabs on a single tab. If you need to open one of the tabs, just go to the OneTab tab and you can open the tab you want.
6. BlockSite
BlockSite is the last solution if you really can’t refrain yourself from accessing distracting websites like Facebook or YouTube. A bit different to StayFocusd which only sets the maximum access duration of websites, BlockSite will block the websites forever unless you unblock them. BlockSite allows you to set the custom redirect page. You can also use this tool to set the maximum visit duration of certain websites just like StayFocusd. In addition, BlockSite also features Adult Control feature that will block all of the adult-related websites.
7. Awesome Screenshot
Awesome Screenshot is a great extension if you frequently take a screenshot of webpages. The use of Awesome Screenshot is a bit similar to Evernote Web Clipper, but it is much better than Evernote Web Clipper where you can take a screenshot of the whole page or selected area of a website. You can then annotate the page you captured and save the result directly on your computer. If you are a blogger who frequently create how-to articles then Awesome Screenshot is a must-installed extension.
8. Dropbox for Gmail
Often work with Dropbox and Gmail? Then Dropbox for Gmail would be a perfect complementary. Installing Dropbox for Gmail on Google Chrome you will be able to directly attach a file from Dropbox without leaving the Gmail window. You will also be able to preview the files you receive without having to download them first. Once installed this extension, you will have a new Dropbox icon at the icon bar area within the email composer of Gmail (at the bottom side).
9. Todoist
Todoist is one my favorite task management tools. It’s pretty simple to use and not overwhelmed by too many features. The Todoist extension for Google Chrome allows you to access all of the tasks you have added to your Todoist account and mark the finished tasks without having to open a new tab for Todoist. You can also directly adding new tasks complete with the reminders.
10. Sticky Notes
Everything that is impossible to write on Momentum Dash or Todoist, you can write it down on Sticky Notes. Something like the phone number or email address of a girl you just met at the coffee shop, a list of book title you want to buy next Sunday, items to carry on the next holiday trip and so on. Just like the name suggests, Sticky Notes is, well sticky notes. You can use this extension to replace the traditional physical sticky notes as a part of paperless lifestyle.
Thanks for sharing these extensions! Definitely going to try few of them.
I’d like to add this list of extensions. Maybe it will be useful to someone:
https://www.actitime.com/productivity-tools/productivity-chrome-extensions.php